Love Tale of the Past
by Angel of Neptune
Summary: David Munroe’s photography job takes him to a tribe in Kenya where he finds the High Priestess, N’Dare. The two fall into a forbidden love which is frowned upon the tribe. R&R Complete
1. Chapter One: Escape From the City

**X-Men: The Movie**

**Disclaimer: **I do not, in any way, own _X-Men_. It belongs to _Marvel_.

**Title:** Love Tale of the Past

**Setting:** Before Storm's time; before the meeting of her parents.

**Genre: **Comic/Romance/Drama

**Author's Note:** I came up with this idea after I wrote _Gone, But Not Forgotten_ and I'm so excited to be writing it. :) I hope you all enjoy.

**Summary:** David Munroe's photography job takes him to a tribe in Kenya where he finds the High Priestess, N'Dare. The two fall into a forbidden love which is frowned upon the tribe. (R&R)

**Chapter One**

**Escape From The City**

**Local Café in New York City**

It was a murky day in the Big Apple, clouds hung gloomily, ready to burst into rain droplets at any given moment, but that didn't stop a certain young photographer from sitting outside his favorite café. The twenty four year old man flipped through the _Post_ as he leaned back in his chair, enjoying a cappuccino. His dark brown eyes were narrowed slightly as he tried to read the tiny font, which was beginning to give him a slight headache. A soft grunt escaped from the back of his throat as he wipes the tiny sprinkles off his chocolate colored skin. Honestly, it had been days, weeks, since he had a proper job and he seriously needed the money to pay off this month's rent.

Being caught up in his own little world at the moment, another young man had managed to sneak up to David Munroe's table. This man was tall, lanky… The typical blond haired blue eyed baby. He was smirking slightly; he was up to something, of course. His stupid smirk always gave that away. David folded up the newspaper.

"So, I need to know." The man spoke. "Are you in or not? I need a photographer; you need a decent paying job."

"Working with you is never… decent, Robert." David remarked as his hands picked up the small cup of his remaining cappuccino. He brought it to his lips and sipped the rest so that nothing remained. "But you're right, I need a paying job, for sure." He placed the empty cup back down on the table and brought all four legs of the chair upon the ground. He stared at his friend right in the eye. God, did he had Robert's smirk. The last time he saw it, they were pulled over by a cop for speed racing on the highway; not a bright idea.

Rob's hand picked up the folded paper and glanced it over quickly, "I heard from Kendra. She's not too happy at the moment, right? You two in a little fight or something again? Need to get away from her for a few weeks?" He offered.

"Getting away from her would be heaven at the moment." David replied honestly. True enough, he and his girl friend, Kendra, weren't really seeing eye to eye. Well, now that he thought about it… They never really did see eye to eye with anything.

"Then what's the problem?" Robert asked, tossing the paper aside. "I need a photographer for my new story for TIME magazine. You need the job _and _need to get away from your girl. What's more to ask for, right? Have I ever have let you down before?"

David raised his eyebrows slightly as the corners of his lips twitched in a small smile. Oh yeah, there were plenty of times. Now of days, he really didn't hold his hopes high. He always expected a failure of some sort, especially from this man. "This trip is paid for right? I barely have enough to cover the rent, let alone airfare." He pointed out.

"Yeah, of course it's paid for!" Robert answered. "Two, three weeks tops, in Kenya. That's Africa-"

"I know where Kenya is, Rob." David interrupted. "My granddad lived in Kenya before migrating to the States."

"Really? I thought your family was from Nigeria or something." He mumbled; David just merely shook his head. "Well, anyways, yeah, the trip is completely paid for. We're not staying in a hotel, however. We're staying at the tribe we're going to be visiting." He informed.

"Do you know which tribe?" David questioned next as he took a gaze up towards the darkening sky. He watched Rob shake his head. "Alright… Sounds like I'm in, I guess… for the money at least."

"Great." Rob stated. "I just know that this tribe is lead by the women-"

"So they're pretty much know what they're doing." David remarked with a tiny smirk of his own.

Rob shook his head lightly. "This is going to be one hell of a trip."

David nodded his head in agreement as he stood up from the table, "I'll see you around." He said before pushing his chair in. "Give me a call later on tonight with the trip details." He watched Rob nod and then headed off to the nearest bus stop on foot. Yeah, living in the Big Apple with hardly any transportation was a bit difficult, but he did get his daily amount of exercise by walking to just about everywhere. After a few more moments on foot, he came to a stop at his destination: the bus stop. A small smile reappeared on his face. Yeah, a few weeks away from this place would serve me good. Not only that, but he was being paid to do so. What more could he possibly ask for? Alright, maybe a better girlfriend who didn't threaten you with a frying pan would be good, but we all can't have what we ask for, now can we?

**David Munroe's Appartment**

The café was only a mere twenty minute bus ride from his small, one bedroom apartment. It wasn't much of a place, but it did serve its purpose. It was a roof over his head and that's all that really mattered. There were a ton of bums living in the streets of New York. He was grateful to even have _this_ place. Honestly, he rarely was at home. His job kept him out a lot. He loved taking pictures of the city. No two pictures were ever the same and that's what he truly loved. He had a strong passion for photography. If only Kendra shared the same interest.

He searched through his fridge as his answering machine played in the background. He was looking for a small bite to eat; a snack, then he would returning to packing for the trip. "Kendra, Kendra, Kendra…" He mumbled over and over against with a muffled voice, shaking his head as he continued to listen to the ridiculous message on the machine.

"-and you're just too different, David Munroe. You spend more times taking those stupid pictures that you call 'art' then with me. What kind of boy friend does that? Honestly-"

The voice suddenly died when David had unplugged the machine. Thank God, too. That voice could only be heard for so longer before sounding like nails running across a chalkboard. Gratefully, he won't to have to deal with her until he came back. No, he wasn't even going to tell her he was leaving the country for a bit. Damnit, he needed his vacation without hearing her nagging.

He walked over to the living room, where he had cloth lines running across from wall-to-wall. No, he didn't use it for any type of laundry, what-so-ever, instead, he used it to hang drying pictures. A few were already hung and dry, ready to come down at any moment. He took a step back to just admire the photos for a second before taking them down and placing them in a pile on the coffee table. He would deal with those also when he got back from this little trip.

But there was something he had to handle before he left. With a grumble, he picked up the wad of bills sitting on the sofa. Damn bills. He barely had enough as it was and now the government wanted that and then some. He quickly flipped through them. Good, all he had to do was send them out and he would be fine until next month. God, he hated this repeating cycle. He rubbed his forehead slightly, feeling a small headache coming on. God, where was the Advil when you needed it?

The phone that was sitting silently on the coffee table along with the pile of dried photographs began to ring. David simply began to hum along with the tune. It took a second or two to realize that it was actually ringing and that he wasn't imagining the tune in his head. He stumbled over the small foot rest in front of the sofa as he grabbed the phone and brought it to his ear, "H-Hello?"

"David. It's Rob."

For a minute, he thought it would be Kendra… Now _that_ would have been great, wouldn't it? "Yeah, what's up?" He asked.

"The taxi should be there soon-"

"Taxi? Soon? Are you kidding me? I'm not even done _packing _yet!" He pointed out.

Rob chuckled lightly on the other end, "Well, you better hurry, my friend. This plane will leave with or without us."

"Why didn't you tell me that panel was actually leaving today? Rob, I can't believe you sometimes!" David remarked. "Damnit, I got to go." He didn't wait for a reply. He threw the phone back down and rushed to his bedroom, only to return to the living room. He picked up the phone once more. Guilt had gotten to him. He had to call Kendra whether he liked it or not. Rather slowly, he dialed the number and brought the phone to his ear.

It rang a few times before the machine picked up. Thank God he got the machine. He wouldn't have to deal with any extra yelling, "Hey, Kendra, baby…" He began. "Uh, listen… Rob offered me a job and I took it, so I'll be out of the… umm… country for a bit. I'll be in Kenya for the next week or two. Uh… see you when I get back, alright?" He state nervously as he hung up the phone. There was going to be hell when he got back.

**Kenya, Africa**

David hung over his camera, carefully putting in a new roll of film as Rob was off talking to one of the ferry men… boat men. Whatever you call them these days… _Guides_. He shook his head slightly as he brought the camera's eye piece to his eye and took a step forward on the dock. Guessing that the first picture probably wouldn't come out anyways… He took a quick snap shot of the docks. It actually felt pretty nice to be in his homeland. Well, his grandfather's homeland. This was his first time in Kenya, truth be told.

Robert came up from behind and patted David on the shoulder before leading him to a pretty small boat with an engine. David raised an eyebrow, wondering just how cheap Robert really was. Did they even _have _a guide? He frowned lightly as he watched another young man with extremely dark skin climb in after Rob. Ah, so there was a guide. David held onto his camera tightly before stepping on board himself. Rob was already sitting down, messing around with his tape recorder, getting it set. The other man introduced himself as Cyni, who would be their guide for the entire two week trip.

Cyni started talking most about the area. At least, that's what David thought. He really wasn't paying attention. Once the boat was on the move and heading up the river, he was more concentrated on talking pictures. He had taken a few rolls of film, just in case he got all trigger-happy with the camera. At least he was on the safe side. This _was_ Africa. The eye piece hardly left his sight.

"You want to be careful with this tribe." Cyni warned. "Especially to the women. This is not like America, I'm afraid. You anger these women and you will be lucky to return with all your limbs. So, show respect." Well, that certainly caught David's attention. He lowered the camera. "Do not keep eye contact with them," Cyni continued. "Unless you are instructed that you can. Ask for permission before you do anything to be on the safe side-"

"Anything?" Robert remarked. "You're kidding right?"

Cyni shook his head. "Just to be safe, do it, and do not question their beliefs, their magic, and, especially, there high priestess."

Robert nodded slightly, "This is going to be a difficult story to write." He murmured under his breath, gazing over towards David who shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just taking pictures." The photographer pointed out.

"Shut up." Rob mumbled.

"You are to take this tribe very seriously." Cyni went on, keeping control of the engine as the boat continued up the river. Once more, Rob nodded in agreement.

"You said something earlier about magic. Can you tell us what type of magic?" David asked.

Robert perked up slightly as he hit the record button on his tape recorder. Moments like this, David asked some pretty decent questions that usually came with answers he could use in his own story. That's why he loved taking David along on these sort of trips. He always got extra information.

"No outsider has ever had the pleasure of seeing their magic." Cyni replied. "They are very protective over it. It is handed down from generation to generation and only the females may practice it. It is forbidden for the males. So, there are no chances that you will be witnessing a ritual of any sort."

"Now, that's really a shame." David remarked. "Why not share their culture with the world? What if their magic can actually benefit the world?"

"Sir, it's just voodoo." Cyni chuckled lightly. "Don't get so worked up about it."

With that said, David fell back to silence as Rob stopped the recorder. Well, that sort of a dud.

_**To Be Continued**_

_Just another reminder, I'm really just taking a stab at this. I'm not really expecting a lot of reviews to come out from this. I'm not sure just how many people would be interested in reading this anyways, but if you've made it this far, then please review.  
In the next chapter, David and N'Dare finally meet for the first time._


	2. Chapter Two: An African Goddess

**X-Men: The Movie**

**Disclaimer: **I do not, in any way, own _X-Men_. It belongs to _Marvel_.

**Title:** Love Tale of the Past

**Setting:** Before Storm's time; before the meeting of her parents.

**Genre: **Comic/Romance/Drama

**Author's Note:** Any quotations surrounded by means that the said character is speaking Swahili.

I have a few African American names with translations to point out before beginning this chapter:

Ramla: Swahili name meaning 'fortune telling' or 'prophet'

**Summary:** David Munroe's photography job takes him to a tribe in Kenya where he finds the High Priestess, N'Dare. The two fall into a forbidden love which is frowned upon the tribe. (R&R)

**Chapter Two**

**An African Goddess**

**Kenya, Africa**

**River Bank**

The boat ride felt like it would take forever. It was like they were passing the same scenery over and over again. Shrub, bush, tree, grass. Shrub, bush tree grass. David even placed the camera back in the case. What was the point of taking what looked like the same picture twice? Finally, after what felt like hours, Cyni pulled the boat up into a sand bank. David was already half asleep, damn jet lag. He yawned heavily as he sat up straight, stretching his arms over his head. Rob took this opportunity to jab him in the ribs and then point towards the bank.

David grumbled slightly but followed the direction of his friend's pointing finger. Ah, there it was; the small village tribe that they would be staying at. Nodding, he pulled out the camera from the case once more and adjusted the focus. After a few moments, he took a snap shot of the village as a young woman approached them and judging by her outfit, she was most definitely someone with a high ranking.

Cyni was the first one of the three to jump off the boat. He walked up to the beach and bowed his head lightly at the woman, who barely even reacted. Her black hair was cropped short; her brown eyes narrowed at both David and Robert. Cyni followed her gaze towards the other two men and then back towards the woman. "They are with me." He stated. "Your High Priestess has been expecting them."

Robert leaned over to David to whisper into his ear, "They speak English?"

"You're asking me?" David remarked.

The woman nodded slightly beckoning the two outsiders with her hand. Both men looked at each other and hopped out of the boat. There was no backing down now. They mimicked exactly was Cyni had just done. They both bowed their head slightly and kept away from eye contact, which felt rather odd, especially to David. It was like they were forced to stare at their chests. Of course, Rob wasn't complaining, but he, himself, felt rather modest about it all.

"I am Ramla." The woman introduced herself. "I have been sent by the High Priestess herself to make sure that our… guests… have arrived." The way she had stated the word 'guest' seemed to be laced with some sort of hatred. Personally, she looked like she wanted to cast some sort of voodoo on them instead of greet them for her Priestess. "And to take them to their room."

Right of the bat, David could tell that this was one of those women who didn't want 'trespassers' in or around her homeland. She had to be under some pretty strict orders or, otherwise, she should have taken them out by now. Cyni nodded as Ramla turned around on her heel and walked towards the huts. Cyni was right behind her. Rob and David lingered behind to stare at each other doubtfully before continuing forward. This wasn't going to be an easy two weeks, was it?

**David's and Rob's Hut**

"We only _stepped_ foot on the damn sand and that lady was ready to take us out!" Rob fussed as he laid back on the so called bed they have been given, which was just a bamboo-like matt. It was going to be two weeks filled with back pains. He gazed over towards his friend, who didn't seem to be listening. "Will you stop messing around with that stupid camera?"

David looked up, frowning lightly. He was sitting down on the dirt floor in the corner of the hut, adjusting the lenses on the camera. "Do you _want_ these pictures or not?" He questioned. "It's not my fault your 'superiors' sent you off to a man-hating-women-ruling-tribe." He remarked. "What the hell did you do back in the office?"

"I didn't think it was going to be like this, alright?" Rob snapped. "Come on, I was expecting more of your typical tribe, whatever the hell that is now of days."

"You, just hopefully, Ramla is one of those women… who just… can't stand men." David slowly pieced together. "I mean, come on. This whole place can't, I mean… That's a bit ridiculous, isn't it?"

"At first when Cyni told us about this place, I seriously thought he was joking, but after meeting Ramla, I'm having my second thoughts." Robert admitted. "This is so different from back home."

David became very interested in the camera lenses once more, deciding not to comment this time. Of course this was different then back home. Back home, Robert didn't have to worry about racist comments. He didn't have to put up with all of the black jokes. He was a damn white man living in New York, it was a breeze compared to some of the things David had to deal with back home. "Cyni says there's a feast tonight. We're expected to show up, pay our respects. That sort of thing." He murmured.

"Where is Cyni anyways?" Rob asked, rolling over onto his side.

"He's off securing the boat or something…" David murmured, setting the camera aside as he laid back on the dirt floor; he honestly didn't care. A little dirt wouldn't hurt him. "And wandering the village, I guess. He's worked with these people before, right? Maybe he's visiting a few guys."

Peeking through the door of the hut were two small little boys, who seemed to be amused by the two outsiders who had stumbled onto their village. The door was barely even covered or anything. A dark blanket was just cast over it, hardly allowing any privacy what-so-ever. The two boys giggled. " Look at that man's skin. He's as white as the snow High Priestess lets us play in. "

He friend nodded slightly, " Their clothes are funny and they speak the silly language the adults know. "

Rob sat up slightly, "What are they talking about?" He questioned. Seeing that they were caught, the two little boys ran off, throwing fits of giggles.

"Your mother." David retorted. "I don't speak Swahili, Rob."

The dark blanket covering their door was removed, allowing the last moments of sun light to flow through before setting. Cyni stood at the doorway, "They are waiting for you, my friends."

**Village Bonfire**

He could never remember ever sitting cross legged for so long. Slowly, David could feel his feet starting to grow numb and all they had done was watch the sunset and the fire build as a few women dancers started, what they have been told, their traditional dance; one that praised the heritage of their High Priestess, who was still nowhere to be seen and darkness was closing in upon them. The flames of the burning fire wood was starting to draw insects, so of which you would probably _never _see back home.

"They are preparing a feast." Cyni informed them. He was sitting next to Robert, who was sitting on David's right. "They do not use the same fire as the spiritual flames; it would be like… bathing in Holy Water back at your home, correct? I am not sure of your religious ways. It has been a while since I've been to one of their rituals."

David just nodded along. Rob, on the other hand, kept staring into the fire, looking to be in a bit of a trance. "It's only a matter of time before the High Priestess shows." Cyni went on. Once more, David just nodded. _God_, his feet were _killing _him.

But Cyni was right. It was only a matter of time before the curtain of a rather large hut was drawn open. This hut was different from the others, and not just by size either, but by the way it was decorated; a sign that royalty had it's presences within. Suddenly, the music of the beating drums came to a stop and the dances stood up tall and straight. Two women stepped out of the hut, one of which they recognized as Ramla, but the other they did not know. Both David and Robert perked up slightly to try to get a better look.

Steps could by heard within the hut; a soft rattling noise caused by sea shells softly clashing into each other with every new step. A pair of slender feet stepped out of the shadows. Just an inch above the ankles were leather straps which had sea shells hanging from strands. Another step was taken, bringing forth the whole woman; a young woman with shockingly white long hair and brightly glowing pure blue eyes. It was such an odd combination, one that made her ten times more beautiful; more exotic then the other women of this tribe. Her facial features were down right perfect, so sooth; so soft… Her outfit was a snug fit on her curved body, a traditional strapless top with leather strands running from the hem. Each strand was decorated with many different beads. Her skirt was made of the same leather material has the rest of the outfit which stopped inches above her knees. A few strands of white hair were formed into a single braid which was held by colorful beads.

A small smile came upon her face as she instantly stopped the visitors to her village. Their clothing had given them away. "As High Priestess, I would like to welcome you on behalf of everyone in this tribe." She greeted. Her voice carried a soft accent, one that made the way she spoke the English language… special. "Now, I wish you to join us to feast in the name of our Goddess, Ashaki." At the end of her statement, a few of the men came around carrying wooden baskets filled with fresh fruit and meats.

"Dave." Robert hissed. "David." He elbowed his friend in the arm. "Don't just stand there, get a God damn picture or something."

David instantly snapped back into reality as he nodded, taking out his camera, "Right." He murmured, bringing the eyepiece up and taking focus of the Priestess. He took a shot and then lowered the camera back down, unable to take his eyes off her.

**David's and Robert's Hut – Hours Later**

Slowly, David tossed and turned on the mat. This was so uncomfortable for his back, for sure. He grunted lightly as he finally gave in. He sat right up, rubbing his eyes, adjusting to the dark. There was barely any light aside of the flowing full moon. Personally, he enjoyed it. You really couldn't see the moon's light back in New York, of course.

He stood up, stretching his back out for a few moments or two. Hell, he wasn't even tired anymore. Damn jet lag. This was going to take another day or two to get use to, wasn't it? He sighed, shaking his head as he pulled the curtain back from the door. He needed to take a small walk, or something… Perhaps down to the river bank to cool off? It didn't sound too bad.

**River Bank**

David stared at the sandy ground as he walked the path to the river that he had earlier taken this morning to get to the village. It was pretty late. He guessed… somewhere between three or four in the morning. The feast had lasted well past midnight. He had never eaten so much fruit ever. The meat didn't look too trusting, being that it was placed in a basket made of wood, who knew what little pests were really crawling all over it? He wasn't too big on meat anyways. He wasn't missing much.

He came to a quick stop behind a few bushes after hearing a firm statement being spoken in Swahili. He ducked slightly. Shit. Someone was actually _out_ this late? He just wanted to enjoy a small walk! He waited for a moment or two. The voice spoke again, "Who goes there?" It was that same angelic voice he had heard tonight before the feast. The High Priestess?

David took a step out from his hiding place. Yup, he was right. The Priestess stood a few feet into the river. She was gazing over her shoulder, eyes narrowed, but quickly softened at the sight of him as she judged that he wasn't really any danger to her. In fact, he could have sworn he saw a flash of a smile.

"So comes forth the outsider named…?" She trailed on.

"David." He replied. "Named David, High Priestess, ma'am." He stated, keeping his eyes to the ground. He remembered Cyni saying to never look a woman in the eye unless they were instructed to do so and this _was_ pretty much the highest class of woman this tribe had to offer.

"David." She repeated. "Cast your eyes up, David. I am… N'Dare." She replied turning around to face him.

"N'Dare…" He repeated. "I gotta say…" He murmured, trying his best not to offend her in any way. Heck, he wasn't even sure where to look at anymore. "You speak some pretty good English."

"We have many English speakers come to this tribe." N'Dare answered. "We have decided it would be… appropriate to learn the language as well. Nothing compares to our native Swahili."

Uncomfortable silence fell between them as they both stared at one another. N'Dare still stood in the cool waters of the river as David reminded on the sandy beach.

_**To Be Continued**_

_Guh, I really didn't know how to end this chapter. I just knew that I want most of their first conversation to be in chapter three. I hope you guys are enjoying this. I'm having a fun time writing it. Seriously, this plot line is haunting me in Chemistry class. :P Haha, read and review._


	3. Chapter Three: Broken Traditions

**X-Men: The Movie**

**Disclaimer: **I do not, in any way, own _X-Men_. It belongs to _Marvel_.

**Title:** Love Tale of the Past

**Setting:** Before Storm's time; before the meeting of her parents.

**Genre: **Comic/Romance/Drama

**Author's Note:** I actually wrote this chapter out on paper during school hours, but then decided it was crap because I knew I could come up with something better if I just typed it out. I feel better typing out stories then just writing them out on paper. I'm weird like that. Go me.

Haha. Yeah, I had this whole chapter written out, but I didn't like the way it was going, so I threw it out and decided to write it all over again from the beginning. Yay, go me, right?

**Summary:** David Munroe's photography job takes him to a tribe in Kenya where he finds the High Priestess, N'Dare. The two fall into a forbidden love which is frowned upon the tribe. (R&R)

**Chapter Three**

**Broken Traditions**

**River Bank**

Softly, the crickets chirped from their hiding places within the grassy sandy beach near the river side. It was the only sound that kept things from doing totally silent between David and N'Dare. What was there really to say? He wasn't from their land, nor did he want to insult the High Priestess in anyway. This culture was just so different from what he was use to back home. His mouth opened slightly, but he quickly closed it. Nope, he definitely had nothing to say and for some odd reason, this caused N'Dare to smile.

Her smile…

It was as if someone had placed a spell over his body. His legs were reduced to nothing but jell-o. It was amazing that he was still standing. There was something about this woman… She gave off that extra vibe. She held a strong ranking in a village, but she really didn't seem all that tough considering what Cyni had informed them about on the boat ride here. Honestly, he was expecting some sort of warrior woman, not this petite sized lady with white hair and shocking blue eyes; an odd combination for her complexion, but one she pulled off with no trouble.

"I use to speak Swahili." David stated, trying to sound a least a tiny bit interesting. "My Granddad used to live in Kenya before he migrated to the States. I learned the language from him… But ever since he died years ago, I've really had no one to practice with… So, I have kind of forgotten."

"That's a shame…" N'Dare said softly, her eyes falling to the water she was standing in. She took a few steps out of the water, the bottom of her skirt was dripping wet, but it didn't seem to bother her at all.

God, he had barely spoken with this woman for hardly five minutes and he was already wishing Kendra could be more like her and that probably wasn't a good sign in his relationship with his so called girl friend. This was a flag; a warning flag. Hell, he probably was going to call it off with Kendra anyways when he got back. He didn't need to put up with this extra stress.

She tilted her head to the side. Obliviously, she knew right off the bat that he was thinking about something; something that bothered him. "Something disturbs you." N'Dare pointed out matter-o-factly. "An unbalance perhaps?"

It sure was an unbalance alright. David snorted, "I guess you can say that." He murmured under his breath before clearing his throat. "Yeah, but it's nothing really." There was no need to be spilling his guts out about his problems; especially to someone he didn't know at all.

"Sun rise will be quickly upon us." N'Dare kindly pointed out, staring back towards the sky's horizon. "I know that you have not slept so well during this night due to the time difference of your home land. This will take a day or so to get use to, I'm afraid."

"Yeah, I know." David replied, folding his arms over his chest. His eyelids were heavy with sleep. "I'll probably catch another couple of hours or so, I guess…"

N'Dare nodded slightly, "You'll need it. Cyni wishes to take you out in the wilderness tomorrow morning before the sun reaches its highest point in the sky."

She was right. Cyni had planned out a little tour for Robert and him for the morning. He wanted them to just get to know the wild of which this tribe was surrounded with. Robert also wanted some history, of course, and a few photographs here and there. They had two weeks to spend here, but Rob wanted to get started right away. He figured once they quickly wrap up this project, they could spend the rest of their time just relaxing and enjoying this place. "Then I should be on my way back." He murmured, bowing his head slightly. "I hope you even the rest of your evening, Priestess."

N'Dare bowed her own head in return as David turned around and shuffled his feet back to the huts. She brushed back her long pure white hair behind her ear as she folded her arms over her chest. The smile on her face grew slightly larger. He was a nice man, this David Munroe; one who would most certainly make a good husband and care for a sturdy family back in his own homeland… if he ever worked out his problems with his partner to begin with. Yes, she could tell that it was a relationship problem right off the bat… from the way he felt so discomfortable talking to her and the way he kept fidgeting during their small conversation.

She watched him disappear into the hut he was assigned to stay in. Her arms lowered back down as she then started off for her own hunt. Getting a few more hours of sleep would do her some good also, no doubt.

**Jungle**

Sweat drenched all three men as they sat up against a large tree trunk. They had been waking on foot for the last hour since just after sunrise and boy was the heat getting to them. Robert brought up his already empty water bottle to his dry lips, shoulders skinning in defeat. David gazed over at him and sighed. He shook his head as he handed over his own water bottle to his friend. He wasn't so thirsty anyways. He had already taken a few decent shoots and that was good enough for him.

Cyni stood back up, stretching his back, "This is as far as we go. We barely have enough water to head back as it is."

Both foreigners looked at each other and nodded. There was no way they could possible go on anyways. Heading back now was a good idea, but they needed a rest. Their feet never ached so much in their lives. Robert cleared his throat after setting the water bottle down on the murky ground, "So, Cyni… What can you tell me about this High Priestess. What is she really like?"

"Her name is N'Dare for starters." Cyni began. "I have known her personally for about… ten years now… since we were teenagers. Our friendship didn't last long. Her mother made her become an apprentice to learn how to use their magic when she was fourteen. She was robbed of her teenage years in order to master these skills. It was only recently that she became High Priestess. Her mother past away only two or three years ago."

Rob gazed down at his tape recorder, make sure he was getting all this.

"What happened to her father?" David asked.

"He was crazed with anger." Cyni replied. "He was not a normal man. He was put to death after her birth because he had slain our midwife. However, he had no love for N'Dare nor her mother."

"Why's that?" Robert questioned.

"Her mother was the High Priestess. We were all expecting a daughter to take her place, but to make sure the child would have supreme power and control over her magic skills, the High Priestess must take the bravest; the strongest warrior male in the tribe as a husband. This male is determined by battle after battle; challenge after challenge." Cyni explained. "Of course, this has already occurred and N'Dare husband as been decided, but she refuses to allow this man to look upon her. She is placing our village in jeopardy."

"Wait a minute, this is crazy." David interrupted. "The people of the village have decided which person N'Dare will end up with because of brute strength? That doesn't seem right at all. It makes no sense."

"But it is the way of our people. It has been for generations." Cyni pointed out.

**Meanwhile – High Priestess' Hut**

" N'Dare, Hugan wishes to see you. " Ramla stated as she stood at the entrance of the hut.

Her statement caused N'Dare to sit up from her bed. Shivers ran up and down her spine. The very thought of that man disgusted her beyond belief. " That man will never lay eyes upon me, Ramla. " N'Dare hissed. " My mother may have sold herself off to some brute, but I refuse to follow in her foot steps any longer. "

" Wench, doesn't this tribe mean anything to you? " Ramla snapped. " You are endangering our people; our way of life. "

" I am endangering none of my people. " N'Dare quickly replied. " This is nonsense! This tradition did not occur until after the Goddess herself. She had a daughter whose father was not of brute strength, but mere intelligence- "

" That was when the blood of the Goddess rode strong within our vines! "

" That blood runs just as strong in my own. " N'Dare spoke barely over a whisper. " I will not lower myself to the likes of him, not after what my 'father' had done to this village. Now, leave me. "

" N'Dar- "

" Leave me. "

**Jungle**

"She strongly believes in the Goddess and is trying to revert the tribe back to the old traditions by refusing the new." Cyni went on. "But times have changed and the people in the village had too. They do not agree to some of the old traditions, which is why they have created the new to begin with."

"I see…" Rob murmured as he stopped the tape recorder. "That's pretty interesting."

Cyni nodded. "We should be heading back now… before the sun casts us even more heat." He noted as he began on the path which they had came from.

Rob held out his hand towards David, who took it and pulled himself up. "Right, so this story is going to be cake. I take it I got the information I needed to get and if I need more, I'll just pick out a few in the next two weeks. Free vacation… What more can you ask for?"

David smiled slightly, but it quickly disappeared as soon as Robert took off after Cyni. Slowly, he walked behind the two men, running the facts over and over in his head. N'Dare was forced into this role. For all he knew, and from what it sounded like, it was something she didn't want to be part of any longer, but it was for the greater good of her people. Her time would come to an end and her daughter would have to take over from there. It really wasn't a life that he would enjoy living. There were too many rules; too many boundaries for his personal taste.

He barely even knew the woman, but he still wanted to help her… He wanted to talk to her again, just to make sure she was alright; to see if there was anything that he could do to help her in anyway that seemed fit.

He shook his head, trying to clear himself from these thoughts as he continued forth. This was going to be a pretty long hike back, that's for sure. He needed a shower too. All this humidity was causing him to sweat like a hog, which lead to massive amounts of body odor, none-the-less.

**High Priestess' Hut – That Night**

Frustrated, N'Dare sat up from her bed. An anger filled sigh escaped her as she stood up and paced around the hut, her arms folded across her chest. No, she wasn't going to do it. Hungan was the same type of man her father was. He couldn't be trusted. She _wasn't_ going to trust him. She shook her head lightly and instantly froze.

Her bright blue colored eyes narrowed as the gazed towards the entrance of the hut. Even if it was covered with cloth, she could still see a shadowed figure standing behind it. She felt her body tense as she walked towards it. A fist formed at her side as electric current crackled between her fingers. A milky white color covered her bright eyes as she pulled the cloth aside and struck a bolt of lightning from her palm towards the figure.

" You have to do better than that, Wind Rider. " Hugan stated. He had easily side stepped her attack and grabbed her wrist tightly.

" Unhand me at once. " N'Dare demanded, swinging her free hand forward to slap him across the face, but Hungan instantly caught that one also, smirking dangerously; a smirk she did not find very pleasing at all. She felt her stomach turn as he pulled her close to his chest and a hand over her mouth. He began to drag her away from the hut.

This was proven to be a very easy task. N'Dare wasn't exactly what you could call strong. She could be easily pushed around psychically. However, there were times when she did step up to the plate; this was one of those times. Grey clouds quickly rolled in, covering the night sky; thunder grumbled softly as a bolt of lightning hurled itself down, striking a couple of feet away from them, which took Hungan by surprise. He released his grasp on N'Dare.

Of course, she was immuned to her own magic, but Hungan was not. It would be a while before he could properly regain his vision and for the ringing in his ears to stop. N'Dare kicked up sand from beneath her feet and ran.

**David's and Robert's Hut**

Hearing the sudden storm, David instantly awoke. He gazed over towards his friend, who was still sleeping. Then again, Robert could sleep through anything. Hell, when his first apartment brunt down, he nearly slept through the fire alarm. David snorted at the memory as he stood up and peeked outside to take a look at this storm, but the High Priestess stole his attention. He could see the look for fear on her face. He watched as she leapt in the air… but she never came down.

N'Dare was _flying_.

He blinked a couple of times to make sure he wasn't seeing things. _She was actually flying_. He stepped out of the hut, dumbfound. It took him a couple of moments to realize that he was hearing the groaning and grunting of a man. He narrowed his eyebrow as he turned his head in the direction of the sound. Sure enough, there was a man huddled on the ground.

Had N'Dare done something?

He frowned lightly as he followed after the woman on foot.

_**To Be Continued**_


	4. Chapter Four: Betrayal

**X-Men: The Movie**

**Disclaimer: **I do not, in any way, own _X-Men_. It belongs to _Marvel_.

**Title:** Love Tale of the Past

**Setting:** Before Storm's time; before the meeting of her parents.

**Genre: **Comic/Romance/Drama

**Author's Note:** This story has been nothing but a challenge and I am very much enjoying it. First thing's first. I'm an editor short. I have two currently. KD checks the ficlets I write in notebooks because I see her on a daily basis. Renada, on the other hand, is kinda… half a world away now and won't be back for eleven months. –sniff- While she's off enjoying being a foreign exchange student in Italy, I'm stuck with… well, minus an editor. :P If you're interested, then send me an e-mail.

Second thing. N'Dare's character is really getting to me. I thought I had her planned out before all this, but now I'm afraid I'm going to turn her into the Pocahontas of Africa or something… to that effect because that would be… weird.

Since is weird, words surrounded by "' '" are actually spoken in Swahili.

**Summary:** David Munroe's photography job takes him to a tribe in Kenya where he finds the High Priestess, N'Dare. The two fall into a forbidden love which is frowned upon the tribe. (R&R)

**Chapter Four**

**Betrayal**

**Plains**

N'Dare hovered over the grassy field. She gazed over her shoulder, pretty sure that Hungan hadn't followed her out here. She released a heavy sigh as she gently lowered herself onto the ground. Honestly, that man! He was all brute strength, no brains. She shook her head lightly. No, she wasn't safe around him. He was violent; he hungered for power, control. He didn't care about the sake of their people. He just wanted to abuse the control over them; the power, her power.

Power that he wouldn't be getting his hands near, not while she was around… "'Hungan'" She spat bitterly as she sat upon her bare knees against the cool damp grass. What a joke. She inhaled deeply as a gust of wind circled her sitting form, brushing back long strands of white hair as it carried a sweet lavender scent; one that brought a smile to her face.

Lavender flowers… Her favorite, her mother's favorite.

"'Mother, it appears that I am in a dark hour. Here am I faced with concerns that I can't handle.'" She spoke softly to herself as she laid back onto the grass, arms stretched over head as she scanned the starry night sky. "'I am the High Priestess. I have to fulfill my duties, but my heart tells me otherwise. You always told me when I was younger to follow my heart's desire, but you also said that I must do what is right for our people. Did you ever think those situations would ever collide with one another? I need help, point me in the right direction.'"

N'Dare slowly sat and gazed towards the direction she had previously taken that lead her to this peaceful field. Her eyes narrowed upon seeing a ruffle from the long grass. She wasn't taking any chances. The young woman manipulated a strong gust of wind that lifted the causer of the disturbance right into the air. Her eyes widen. She was expecting Hungan, not-

"David?" She questioned, standing back up quickly. "'This wasn't the signal I needed, Mother.'" She murmured under her breath.

David felt his heart beating rapidly against his chest as he took in quick short breaths as he waved his arms and legs franticly in the air. What the hell was going on? Is this what Cyni was talking about when he said magic? "P-Put me down!" He stuttered, clearly not enjoying one moment of it. N'Dare gently brought him back down on his feet.

"What the hell was that?" He questioned, still sounding somewhat panicked.

N'Dare shook her head, "What are you doing out here? Why aren't you back in the village?" She demanded.

"Why are you running away from that guy?"

"I'm not running!" She snapped.

David scoffed. "Sure looks like, _Priestess_."

"Do _not_ mock me." She hissed as David was sent flying a couple of feet forward with another random gust of wind. He stumbled onto his knees, looking clearly annoyed.

"Stop with your little voodoo!"

N'Dare frowned. She walked up to him and grabbed his neck and lifted him up so that his feet dangled inches from the ground with the help of a current, of course. "This 'voodoo' as you call it has been in my family for generations… since the Goddess Ashaki herself. Those who insult it do not deserve to see the next light of day." She hissed. "Outsider."

David stared at her in disbelief. He could see it in her eyes… Fire, anger… At first glance, N'Dare didn't seem like the type of woman would could firmly stand her own ground. This proved otherwise. She didn't need any strong warrior man to protect her; she could protect her own self just fine. "I-I'm sorry. Really… It's just. I, uh… never seen anything like that in my entire life…" He rambled on.

The Priestess gazed behind David, ignoring his senseless; his useless rambling. She carefully lowered him to ground, smirking. She could make out Hungan clearly in the dark. Her smirk only grew as she turned around, her back towards him, making sure that he was watching her. N'Dare placed her slender hand behind David's head and brought it down, closing the space between them. She locked her lips firmly against his, kissing him with a strong amount of passion.

The photographer blinked a few times, confused. He wasn't really sure what was going on, but he really couldn't complain about it. That is, until he noticed Hungan walking towards them. No, not walking, running; charging.

N'Dare spun around once more, facing the brute of a man. Her right hand latched onto the base of David's neck as she leaned into him, wrapping her left leg around his lower waist, "'If you want me, come a claim me, Hungan.'" She stated, projecting her voice. David wasn't such what was going on. N'Dare grabbed his hand and placed it on her hip. "Hang on…" She whispered into his ear, causing him to shiver lightly.

The next time he knew, he felt a rush of wind swish past him as he and N'Dare floated into the air above Hungan. The warrior stopped his little charge and gazed up towards them, clearly royally upset. David gazed at N'Dare. She was _smiling_. She was enjoying every moment of this. She enjoyed making a mockery of this man. Did she really dislike him that much? And what was with that kiss? He didn't dare ask questions, not now, fearing that if he somehow pissed her off that she would easily drop him.

**River Bank – North of the Village**

It felt like forever, been it had only been mere minutes until N'Dare finally decided it was safe to land near the shore of the river just a bit further away from the tribe. David instantly released her, taking a couple steps back, "What was that all about? Can you please give me a little explanation please?" He demanded. "I don't understand any of this-"

N'Dare placed the tip of her fingers against his lips. "You talk too much."

"I'm glad one of us is finding this totally amusing." He remarked, speaking against her finger which she drew back. "_What's going on_?"

She shook her head, "Hungan came to my hut… I didn't know of his intentions, but they were pretty clear." She began to explain. "I struck him down and fled to the plains and waited for him to show up… So we could settle this dispute without harming anyone. I sat down and said a small pray to the Goddess, hoping they would send me a sign. They pointed me to you."

"Huh?" He wasn't getting any of this.

"That kiss." She stated. "How did you feel during it?"

"What?"

"Tell me how you felt!" She demanded impatiently.

"Confused!" He admitted. "I have no idea what's going on here, N'Dare!"

Once more, she pressed her fingers against his lips. "This tribe firmly believes in arranged marriages between the High Priestess and the strong warrior. I, however, do not agree with it one bit, ever since my father attacked my mother. I believe in following my own heart and the Goddess has guided me to you. That kiss felt right-"

"Now you're rambling on about nonsense." He pointed out.

"Nonsense my foot!" N'Dare snapped.

David grabbed her shoulders firmly, "Calm down, alright? You're just a bit worked up from that whole experience with Hungan. Hell, he's going to kill me when we get back to the village."

"We don't have to go back to the village-"

"N'Dare!" He hissed. "I'm not from around here. I have to get back to the village; to Rob. I have a home to return to, a girl friend-"

"You know, most men I have encountered would be dead on the spot if they held me as you do now." She spoke softly. "I know what I'm doing-"

"No, you don'-"

"Just _listen_ to me!" N'Dare pulled herself free. "You don't understand. I have known no life then beyond that of a Priestess. I don't want it… Not anymore. Hungan… he was the last straw. I don't want to stay here. I'll be forced to be with him-"

"You're saying you want to leave?" David asked.

She looked up at him, "Destiny lead you to this land for a purpose. Fulfill it. Take me with you-"

"This is crazy." He turned around and began to walk down along the river. "I'm heading back to the village."

"_No_." N'Dare leapt into the air, landing swiftly in front of him. "Hungan will be waiting for us there. He watched me choose you over him. He'll want revenge. He'll kill you on the spot."

"Then I'll just kindly explain that this is a big misunderstanding-"

He was cut off; unable to finish his sentence. N'Dare stood up on her tip toes and kissed his lips once again, placing bother her hands behind his head as she pressed her body against him. He placed his hands comfortably on her hips as she pinned him onto the sandy ground below. She broke away for a moment to gaze into his dark brown eyes as strands of her white hair fell forward and rested against his shoulders. Teasingly, she nibbled the bottom of his lip, "Free me from this place… All of it…"

**Tribe**

"'What?'" Ramla exclaimed as she watched Hungan pace around just outside the entrance of the High Priestess' hut. "'That's not possible… That would be like committing treason against her own people. She sentences us to death!.'"

"'I'm going to kill that outsider.'" Hungan growled. "'I'll make sure he never steps foot within our lands again… and once I have my way with N'Dare, she'll share the same fate as the outsider. No one will strip me of my title!'"

Ramla cast him a stern look, "'No, you cannot harm N'Dare. She's the only living descendant of the Goddess. If she disappears, then we are no more.'"

"'She wishes for our end! She'd rather be with an outsider then do what is right for our people! No… No. It's time a new leader was chosen for this tribe, someone who could turn it around… Someone who will not turn out to be a traditor."

"'Who do you have in mind?'" Ramla scoffed. "'Yourself?'"

Hungan smirked, "'That's exactly who I had in mind. The rein of the weather goddesses is hereby over. It is the end of an era and the rise of a new. Alert the people at dawn of the changes and give the other men permission to kill the Priestess on sight. No questions asked… And get that other outsider. Have him tied and bound. I'll deal with him later.'"

**River Bank – North of the Village**

David shook his head as he pushed her away. He sat up and pulling himself up right, dusting off his pants.

"If I go back there," N'Dare began. "It will be my head for sure. I have committed nothing but treason against them."

"I don't understand the sudden change." David pointed out. "I thought you were for your people, you are, at least, were their leader. What happened?" He questioned.

N'Dare stood up, trying to meet his eye-level, "Hungan. He wants me for my power; he wants me for sex. I will rule my people, but not with that brute by my side, I won't! I refuse to be used as… as… a toy! My mother would have wanted better if she were alive."

"What happened to your mother?" David spoke softly. "If you don't mind me asking, that is."

"She was put to death as well." N'Dare replied bluntly. "By the people of my village! When I was eight years young! She wanted to change them for the better! She wanted to change a few of our traditions to make sure that we remain safe, but they wouldn't see to it! They beheaded her, just as they will to be once they learn what I have done. I have broken one of their more sacred tradition. That is why Ralma gets so defensive when I say I will not follow any longer, but now… Now Hungan will make sure that I share the same fate as my mother."

David sighed lightly, "So… what do you do from here?"

"_We_ need to get to your friend." N'Dare stated. "He could be in grave danger for all we know."

"So much for a vacation…" He mumbled.

_**To Be Continued**_


	5. Chapter Five: The Escape

**X-Men: The Movie**

**Disclaimer: **I do not, in any way, own _X-Men_. It belongs to _Marvel_.

**Title:** Love Tale of the Past

**Setting:** Before Storm's time; before the meeting of her parents.

**Genre: **Comic/Romance/Drama

**Author's Note:** Sorry it has been a while since I updated. I have had a lot of things going on in my life the last couple of weeks. I had a retarded doctor determine I had a brain tumor because I'm taller than my parents and I wear glasses, go figure. Anyways, after a few tests, it has been proven I'm brain tumor free (imagine that…), however I need to travel to a nearby town later on this week to get something else checked out. The fun just never ends, I say!

The funny thing is… I've been listening to that Savages song from Disney while writing this chapter. Haha. ) Such a similar situation, don't you agree? Anyways, I'm not sure where to end this story. How far should I take it? Like… I could probably carry it out until David and N'Dare are killed in that bombing, leaving Ororo as an orphan. It's a challenge, but I probably can do it. Or I could end it when they officially get together and marry and all that fun jazz. What do you guys personally think?

Sorry if this chapter is a bit shorter than the others and seems a bit rushed. Did intend for that to happen.

**Summary:** David Munroe's photography job takes him to a tribe in Kenya where he finds the High Priestess, N'Dare. The two fall into a forbidden love which is frowned upon the tribe. (R&R)

**Chapter Five**

**The Escape**

**Tribe**

"What the hell is going on here?" Rob demanded as Hungan threw him down on the dirt after pulling the outsider out of the hut. Rob went to stand up once more, but Hungan grabbed his shoulder firmly, causing the man to collapse back onto his knees from the pressure. "I've followed all your rules! This isn't right!"

"The rules have changed, outsider." Hungan smirked. "Outsiders aren't tolerated among us anymore… and you shall be an example of that."

Rob's eyes narrowed. What the hell was going on? "_What_? What are you talking about? Where's David?"

Hungan grabbed a fist full of the American's hair and hoisted him up, "The one you called David will share your fate. Neither of you shall ever see your land again."

"Fate? What are you talking about?" Rob repeated as two men grabbed his arms and began to drag him off.

"'Take him to my hut and keep guard.'" Hungan demanded the men. "'At mid-day we will make a prime example out of him, then David. N'Dare will be the last to suffer.'"

**Outskirts of the Tribe**

N'Dare crouched down low into the bushes as she peeked into the dead silent village. She glanced over her shoulder back at David who was knelt down right behind her. She sighed lightly and gazed back. This was all her fault, of course. The wind rider shook her head as she watched two of her once loyal men drag off the struggled news reported into Hungan's personal hut.

"This is not going to be easy…" N'Dare murmured to herself.

"Just take down those two." David whispered. "Come on… a gust of wind, no problem, right?"

"Wrong." N'Dare replied as the two men threw Rob inside the hut. "I can't use my powers against my own people-"

David scoffed, "Your own people would murder you in a heart beat." He pointed out.

She pulled back slightly and stood up. "I will not hurt them. They have done no wrong… They are just…" She shook her head. "I'll get your friend out safely, but for the meantime, we need to rest. Knowing Hungan, he's going to use this to gain full power over the village… He'll want to show the people your friend; his prisoner. Once he has done that, then I can sneak him out."

**Tribe – Dawn**

Rob could feel his heavy eyelids droop, demanding for sleep, but the tight knots of his stomach made him feel like throwing up. Why was he being treated his way? He was tied to a wooden post in the middle of the empty hut. He inhaled deeply and cast his eyes up towards the hole in the roof. His heart jumped into his chest as he saw a pair of bright blue eyes staring back at him.

"Priestess!" He hissed. "What's going on?"

N'Dare placed a finger over her lips, signaling the man to stay quite as she gently hovered down onto the dirt ground below, "We don't have much time." She stated in a soft whisper. "And it's too dangerous to tell you everything here." Her hands wrapped around the rope that held him. She frowned, knowing a spark of lightning wouldn't really be the best idea right about now.

"My jacket pocket." Rob said. "I have a small pocket knife."

"My tribe has gone against me." N'Dare murmured, taking the knife out of the pocket as she started to saw away at the rope. "Hungan is not pleased. If he finds us, he won't let us escape. You need to get back to your homeland. You'll be safe there." She explained. The rope gave away. Rob pulled his hands free.

"Hang on, what?" Rob asked, looking a bit confused. "Why all this all of a sudden?"

"Now is not the time for questions-" N'Dare paused as she heard the flap of the cloth door open. She turned around quickly on her heel only to come face-to-face with a smirking Hungan. Rob took a few steps back, clasping his pocket knife tightly.

"'You returned, wind rider.'" Hungan's smirk continued to grow.

N'Dare's eyes narrowed, "'It's me you want, Hungan. Let the Outsider go.'"

"'And why would I do that?'" He scoffed. "'You have no power-'"

"'If you do not release the Outsider, I will set this hut on fire in a blink of an eye.'" N'Dare warned as her bright eyes began to fog over. "Release him and I'll stay. Nor will I try to free myself using my powers. What do you say, Hungan? Fair?"

Hungan looked up towards Rob, frowning, and then back down upon N'Dare. He nodded, "He can go, but you are mine."

N'Dare nodded as well as Rob carefully walked to the hut's exit, past the two tribe members. "You know, Hungan… The night was more enjoyable with that Outsider near the _riverbank_ then it would have ever been with you." Hungan growled as he took a fist full of her white hair as his other hand smacked her across the face.

Rob took off in a run. _Riverbank_. That's where David was. He had to tell him what the hell was going on. This was some crazy vacation!

"'You have no respect for your people!'" Hungan bellowed, throwing the wind rider against the ground. "'We worshiped you and your lineage for generations and this is how you show us thanks! You have made _my_ people disgusted! You spit upon our lineage of worshipers; your linage of Goddesses!'" He delivered a firm kick to her side, but the weather witch only flinched. She wasn't going to let Hungan see any pain if she could help it. "'No more shall we deal with you High Priestesses.'"

N'Dare pushed herself up into a sitting position, only to have Hungan grab her by the shoulders and ram her against the wooden pole. "'It ends with you, _Priestess_. Where's your family now?'"

**Riverbank**

Rob ran as fast as his legs could carry him, his eyes darting around the surrounding area, looking for any sign of his friend. He gazed over his shoulder once in a while to make sure that no one was following him from the tribe. He was paranoid. It felt like he had been running forever, but he finally saw who he was looking for.

David stood up quickly from the sand as he saw Rob coming straight at him at a charge. Why was he alone? Where was N'Dare? Something wasn't right?

"David! We need to get out of here!" Rob came to a fast stop and grabbed his friend's sleeve. "The villagers! They want to kill us!"

"Rob, where's N'Dare?" David demanded.

"Forget her, we need to get-"

"I love her." He stated bluntly, causing Rob to fall deadly silent.

"_What_?" Rob asked, wondering if he heard right to begin with.

David nodded slightly, "I… I don't know what the hell came over me, but N'Dare… She's different, you know? I don't know."

"Hungan has her." Rob answered. "She traded herself to let me walk free. Hungan is going to kill her. She's not going to use her powers-"

"_What_?" David exclaimed. This wasn't happening. This wasn't true. "Where did they hold you, Rob?"

"In this hut, but they probably don't have N'Dare there." He replied. "Chances are they are going to do her in pretty fast and then go after us. What are you going to do?"

David shook his head. He couldn't waste any more time. He took off in a run towards the tribe.

**Tribe**

"'Traitor!'"

"'You leave us to suffer!'"

"'Where is the Goddess now?'"

"'Show her no mercy!'"

Hungan continued to smirk as he stood up the small wooden stage that was firmly planted in the center of the village. His tiny beady eyes gazed down towards N'Dare, who was upon her knees, hands tied tightly together. A frown was upon her beautiful face. Ah, revenge was bittersweet. Her people had all woken to the truth and now wished to see her punishment. Things were going as planned so far. Once he had taken care of N'Dare, he would search for those two Outsiders… especially the one called David. Yes, David would meet a slow end. He would beg Hungan to finish him.

"'Your people are disgusted by the sight of you, Priestess.'" Hungan spoke up, causing the surrounding tribe members to fall silent. "'You have clearly allowed an Outsider to fog up your judgment, not to mention allowed him to view your sacred powers. Unheard off.'"

Ramla climbed up onto the small stage and straightened herself up. She walked over to where N'Dare knelt and drew back the Priestess' head. The next moment, the woman slapped her across the face with all the strength she held. "'Just like your mother, you have betrayed us; sentenced us to the ultimate suffrage. You refused our traditions for an Outsider. Your lineage frowns upon you, N'Dare, you filthy vermin.'"

"'No more shall we deal with your kind.'" Hungan continued. "'The bloodline has grown vile. No longer do they care for the outcome of this tribe. We no longer are in need of the service you have to offer. You are hereby sentenced to death!'" He picked up his axe from the wooden ground. "I have been looking forward to this, wench…" He hissed into her ear before placing a kiss on her cheek. N'Dare shivered lightly as she continued to stare at the ground; this was it… Hungan lifted the axe over his head.

The blade of the axe shined dully off the pale morning sun as the brute of a man prepared to swing it down, until out of nowhere, a pocket knife came from behind him, planting itself into Hungan's forearm. He dropped the axe with a loud 'clank' a few inches away from N'Dare. He growled lightly as he looked over his shoulder; N'Dare did the same.

There stood the 'Outsider.' David stood a couple of feet away from the small stage by himself, trying to catch his breath. His eyes were narrowed slightly. N'Dare smiled lightly as she began to stand, but Ralma forced her back down onto her knees. Hungan pulled the blade out of his flesh and tossed it on the ground. Then the massive man picked up his act and jumped down from the stage on the side where David stood.

"You are mighty brave for such a tiny man." Hungan commented. "Kudos to you." Blood flowed from the wound that had been inflicted on him. "But I am a warrior."

David took off his jacket and threw it aside. This probably wasn't the best time to admit that he had never thrown a punch in his entire life, but he couldn't just ignore some crazy man with an axe, not if he wanted missing limbs. Hungan charged himself towards David, who grounded himself. Hungan lifted the axe over his head, ready to swing. David caught his both of the man's wrist as the blade tried to inch its way towards his bare neck.

Ramla withdrew a dragger from the strap around her left leg and held it against N'Dare's neck, "'Move and I will cut your throat.'"

N'Dare gazed up towards the woman from the corner of her eye, "'Weren't we best friends Ramla? When we were nothing but young girls? Does our friendship mean that little to you?'"

"'You are a traitor, N'Dare.'" Ramla hissed. "'You placed this… This Outsider before your own people. How could you?'"

"'I am my mother's daughter.'" N'Dare replied. "'These traditions as you call them are out-dated. I follow my heart.'" Her eyes grew to a milky white color once more. A massive strong gust of wind was summoned forth to move the blade away from her neck. The weather witch threw herself into the air. "David, we need to get out of here." She stated as David's body hovered up next to hers.

David wrapped his arms around N'Dare's waist as she brought forth a dense fog for them to hid in. She frowned lightly before heading back up the river; away from the village.

A low growl escaped the back of Hungan's throat as he threw the axe aside upon the fog cleared. Ramla came to his side and began to tend to his wound, only to be forced away from the brute. "'This is _not_ over.'"

"'Their tour guide… Cyni.'" Ramla spoke as a soft smile curved onto her lips.

"'My men will head to Cyni's little hide out. If all goes according to plan… He will lead all three of them right to us…'" Hungan added. "'They will not leave this land alive.'"

**Riverbank**

N'Dare landed softly on the sand below as David released his grasp from around her. Both looked up to see Rob standing next to Cyni. At least their tour guide was alright. Cyni could lead them back to the town and then this whole mess would be behind them. They would never have to mention it again. Rob waved them over.

"Cyni says he can take us back into town." Rob informed. "Once we get back, we can fly straight to the States; back home."

"That's sounds like a good idea." David agreed and then looked down at N'Dare. "I'm taking you with me."

N'Dare couldn't help but smile lightly as she slightly nodded.

"Yes, yes, yes… Such a happy union." Cyni stated. "But we must spend one day in the wild. Hungan and his men will be searching for us for the rest of the day and well into the night. I know of a cave where we can take shelter, so we can rest…"

"If we travel before the sun rises in the morning, we should be fine." N'Dare spoke up. "Even Hungan and his men must rest."

Cyni nodded, "Let us go."

**Deep Within the Jungle**

It seemed like they had walked for hours on end until they reached the little hiding place that Cyni spoke of. It was none other than a dark and wet cave. Well, he wasn't lying… It was a shelter. Rob dropped the wood that Cyni had advised him to collect along the way onto the dirt ground and began to build the fire. The sun was setting, it was growing dark. They needed light.

"I'm afraid we only have three sleeping bags." Cyni pointed out as he looked towards the other three.

"I don't need one." David instantly replied. "I'll give mine to N'Dare." He added, taking one of the rolled up bags and spreading it on the floor a few feet away from where Robert was trying to set up the fire. N'Dare sat down on the sleeping bag. She was covered in sweat and just plain tired. Every limb in her body was demanding rest. David sat down next to her.

The wind rider rested her head against his shoulder, a soft smile appearing on her tiresome face. David wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "You be out of here soon enough." He whispered into her ear. "You won't have to worry about any of this…"

"They were my people…" N'Dare murmured to herself. Was guilt starting to sink in finally? Had she been too selfish? "They needed me… and I let them down."

"I think it's a bit late to be self-doubtin' yourself, hon." Rob commented as he got a spark going. "No way they are going to take you back."

She sighed lightly, "Is your tribe like this?"

"I wouldn't call it much a tribe." David answered. "It's a lot more… advanced. I don't know, hard to explain, but very different."

"Would I like it?" N'Dare questioned, tilting her head to the side.

"I think you'll enjoy it…" David shrugged, watching the small fire grow. "I guess we'll just have to see."

Rob stood up and dusted off his pants before meeting David's eyes. He then jerked his head towards the entrance of the cave, "I need to talk to you." He mumbled. David nodded slightly and followed him out. Rob made sure that they were out of ear shot of the other two. David folded his arms over his chest as he waited for his friend to speak. "You know… This is going to be difficult. How are we going to get her back into the States exactly? We can't just sneak her into an airplane."

"Who said we had to go back by plane?" David asked. "We can take a cruise ship back, you know. She could probably fly up on board and then we'd be good to go."

"Alright… What about Kendra?" Rob then questioned. "Forgot about her? Your girlfriend? How are you going to explain this one? 'Oh, honey! I brought back the High Priestess from the tribe! She can take care of the garden!'"

"Hey." David hissed. "Kendra and I have been on shaky grounds for a while." He pointed out. "I'll just… break things off with her. I can't just bring N'Dare back to the States and let her go off on her own. She won't understand. She's only known this tribe her whole life. The city is going to be so confusing for her. I need to be there."

"You've known this gal for a couple of days and you're head over heels." Rob shook his head. "I don't think you can really call that love, my friend. I'd say it's lust. Could be just a one night stand for all you know."

In return, David shook his own head, "No. It's more than that. I just know it, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah… Don't get snappy." Rob murmured as David huffed and went back into the small cave. He gazed up towards the sun setting sky. This was going to be a long night…

_**To Be Continued**_


	6. Chapter Six: Away From the Jungle

**X-Men: The Movie**

**Disclaimer: **I do not, in any way, own _X-Men_. It belongs to _Marvel_.

**Title:** Love Tale of the Past

**Setting:** Before Storm's time; before the meeting of her parents.

**Genre: **Comic/Romance/Drama

**Author's Note:** Heh. I'm horrible at updating, I really am, and I'm really sorry about it, but here's your new chapter! I'm starting to bring this story to an end. Of course there has to be a big bam before the end also! I just gotta cause drama for the characters!

Whoo. I'm starting to feel evil.

I thought this chapter was a bit short, so I went ahead and threw the beginning of chapter seven at the end to give it length.

**Summary:** David Munroe's photography job takes him to a tribe in Kenya where he finds the High Priestess, N'Dare. The two fall into a forbidden love which is frowned upon the tribe. (R&R)

**Chapter Six**

**Away From the Jungle**

**Deep Within the Jungle – The Cave**

Hours were slowly slipping by; it was an extremely long night. David didn't dare to sleep. He wasn't going to nap through all this chaos. No, he wasn't going to rest until they were safely on their way back home or away from this jungle. This vacation had proven to be more trouble then it was relaxing. Hell, he would have stuck it out with Kendra for two weeks then go through all of this. He yawned lightly as he rubbed his head. His eyelids were so heavy, but just didn't want to sleep.

Not to mention, Cyni was watching him like a hawk. Honestly, what was so interesting about him? Every once in a while, he caught Cyni throw some sort of nasty glare. This wasn't right, not at all. It only added to the fear of closing his eyes for more than three seconds. David quickly glanced at the tour guide once more before laying down on the dirt, his back towards the man. Alright, now he was just being freaky. It felt rather nice to be laying down again. His body was aching; he needed to sleep on a mattress. He was craving to return home, back to the apartment.

He was missing the comfort of his home, that's for sure. He sighed lightly, curling up close next to N'Dare, wrapping his arms around her protectively. It was his fault that she was in this mess. None of this had to happen to her.

Cyni slowly stood up, trying not to make a sound. He had been waiting for that American reporter to go to sleep for what felt like days. Now he could report to Hungan. The man stepped out of the cave and headed into the wilderness while David blinked a few times, trying to keep himself awake. No, he couldn't fall asleep; he just couldn't.

Laying down really wasn't helping him out either. What a horrible idea that was. David fussed as he sat up, "Cyni?" He murmured, looking towards the cave entrance. The tour guide was missing. His eyebrows narrowed. The photographer stood up and headed towards the entrance. Sure, he was just going to ask the tour guide if they still had any water, but now that he was gone, he was a bit curious. David took a couple of steps outside where he heard some ruffling coming from nearby bushes.

N'Dare shifted in her sleep as her eyes fluttered opened. The small fire was barely still flaring, not really allowing her eyes to properly focus, but she could still see that David was missing from her side. She remembered him stating that he would not sleep; he didn't want her in any type of danger. She fell asleep with him next to her.

The young woman hovered into the air, allowing herself to stand up straight on her feet. There really wasn't enough currency in this small area to do anything with her powers; it made her feel a tad bit helpless. She always felt helpless when she couldn't proper summon her powers. It was the only way she knew how to really protect herself. However, it was pretty rare for the relentless weather witch to actually show fear. It was a weakness. She couldn't show weakness. No, the High Priestess couldn't show weakness. She wasn't that High Priestess anymore. She was being hunted, but she still couldn't show any of that weakness. She wasn't weak.

She instantly spotted David would was hunched over by a bush. What was he doing?

David's eyes were narrowed as he tried to pick out what Cyni was saying. He was speaking in another language; Swahili, no doubt. He couldn't make it out; Cyni was speaking so fast. When Cyni finished speaking, a new voice came to David's ears; a voice he didn't really want to hear at the moment: Hungan. David felt his stomach turn into tight knots as it did flip flops. This wasn't good. Cyni was working for Hungan, he was dead sure of it. Cyni had signed their death warrant. They had to get out of here.

N'Dare tilted her head slightly, "David?" She called out to him; big mistake.

Cyni instantly jerked around, hand gun ready and loaded, knowing that Hungan would want the weather witch dead. It no longer mattered whose hand delivered the final blow. David's eyes widen at the sight of the gun; he froze. It was fired; N'Dare collapsed onto her knees.

"'Excellent.'" Hungan smirked, still remaining hidden within the bushes as Cyni stepped out. David stood up and grabbed the tour guide's wrist, trying to free the gun from the man's hand.

"ROB!" David yelled at the top of his lungs. Hell, if that gun shot didn't wake him up, then they were doomed. "ROB!" He repeated, taking the gun out of Cyni's hand.

After hearing David yell out his name not once, but twice, Robert was up and out of the cave they had called a shelter for the last two hours, not really understanding what was going on. "Move! Now!" David barked as he shoved Cyni away, dashing towards N'Dare.

Hungan growled. No, this wasn't going to happen. They weren't going to escape. He grasp his spear tightly, holding it above his head. Rob swallowed the lump in his throat. Well, he was always complaining about not having enough adventure in his life, but this was just pushing it. He was a reporter, damnit. He never thought he would be faced in a situation like this. Rob made a quick lunge towards Hungan, reaching for the spear, only to fall short. Hungan kicked him in the side, causing him to gasp for air.

Even thought he really didn't accomplish in getting the spear away from Hungan's hand, it still gave David enough time to hoist N'Dare carefully onto his back. He was sure just how badly injured she was, but if he checked now, he was going to get very close with that spear. Rob quickly crawled away and pulled himself onto his feet, following David into the darkness.

**Deep Within the Jungle**

"David, what the hell happened?" Rob asked as the two of them tried their best to maneuver through the tall trees, bushes, and vines. "Swear to God, I thought I heard a gun go off!"

"You didn't image that, Rob." David replied. "A gun did go off: Cyni's. He shot N'Dare."

"Dear God." Rob mumbled. "David, put her down. We gotta check this out. Come on, the sun's coming up. No need to worry about the dark anymore." He pointed out. "We've been wandering around for hours."

He had a point. They had to take care of N'Dare. She had been quite for some time now. David came to a stop and carefully set N'Dare down on the soft dirt ground. He could feel the warm blood staining his shirt; he tried to ignore the sick feeling. N'Dare moaned; whined. David shook his head as he brushed away strands of sweaty hair from her pale face. Rob knelt down, frowning, as he pulled off his shirt, using it to clean out the wound carefully.

"Hey…" David cooed softly. "N'Dare… Can you hear me?" She winced as the cloth pressed against the open wound. He noticed that her skin felt extremely hot to the touch. She was running a fever, no doubt.

"It doesn't look that deep." Rob murmured. "She shouldn't be in too bad of shape, but we gotta get her out of here nonetheless."

"You're going to be alright, you hear me?" David continued. "You're going to be alright. I promise you… You're going to see New York." He whispered into her ear, kissing her cheek tenderly. "Just hang on a bit longer, alright?"

Rob gently covered the wound that was slightly above her hip and tied the shirt, "Get her back up on your back. We're heading back to that cave-"

"What?" David instantly questioned.

"Our supplies are back there, Dave." Rob replied. "We need them if we want to get out of here. I can get us to the boats from that stupid cave! We go up the river and towards the nearest town. N'Dare can be treated and then we can get the hell out of here."

**Riverbank**

It took them a while to get back to the cave and then to the riverbank itself. The sun was now high in the sky, had to be a bit past noon. The most they got back from the shelter was just a sleeping bag and a container of water. It probably wouldn't last them long, but they had to try anyways. David made sure N'Dare was comfortable in the small boat, wrapping up with the sleeping bag before Rob and he paddled away. It was amazing that Hungan or his men hadn't spotted them by now. Surely they were still searching.

"We should be near the city by nightfall at least." Robert said after a couple of minutes of rowing. "Someone should be at the pier. They'll notice us and we'll be on our way."

"Cyni was the only man on that pier who could speak English." David stated bitterly. "No one's going to understand us."

"Then when we get there, we'll just point at N'Dare wounds and say 'help' over and over again until they get the damn picture." Rob answered. "Heck, if they see blood, they'll get the picture. These people aren't dense."

David nodded, "Yeah. Sorry… I'm a bit… uhh… tensed."

"Some vacation, eh?" Rob smirked lightly.

"I never want to take a vacation after this ever in my life." David stated. "I'd rather take the crappiest photo job ever then travel outside of the city limits again. Especially with you."

"Dave, I'm hurt." Rob pined, chuckling lightly under his breath before gazing down at the resting beauty. "You really think this is the one, huh?"

"I don't care that I've only know her for a couple of days, alright?" David retorted. "We barely have properly talked with each other either for that matter, but she claims that she was guided to me by the 'Goddess;' I was brought here for a reason." He shrugged his shoulders. "She just… amazing; breath taking. More of a woman Kendra would ever be."

"Do you have any idea how you're going to get Kendra out of the picture?" Rob asked, knowing the answer to this should be rather interesting. Kendra was, indeed, a pretty scary woman to piss off. Breaking up with her randomly would definitely upset her. He knew David would probably want another few rounds with Hungan then to face Kendra back home.

"Nope… Not really sure yet." David replied. "I think I'm just going to call and tell her bluntly. Then I'll change my name and move out of the state." He joked and then cleared his throat. "Naw. I'm going to have to tell her face-to-face. She won't be too happy, but I'm not really happy being with her."

"True…" Rob murmured as he paddled. "I've seen the way you've been acting around N'Dare. I think you found something special there, buddy."

David smiled, "I'm going to purpose to her, you know. Going to skip the whole dating process and go right into the whole marriage deal."

"Rushing things a bit, aren't you?" Rob remarked. "You're in your late twenty's, you shouldn't be hurrying along! Get married now and you'll be having kids right around the corner, you know."

"Shut up and paddle…" David mumbled under his breath.

"I'm serious, man." Rob went on. "I bet you anything you are just waiting to do her."

"_Robert_."

"I'm just saying…" He added before falling silent; rather interested in paddling all of a sudden.

"We hadn't had anything to eat in a while…" David said, changing the subject.

Rob looked up once again and nodded, "Yeah, you can say that again." He agreed. "But I'm not going to go off and eat something wild from the jungle, no thanks. We know close to nothing about survival and I want to make it home alive."

"Yeah, I know what you mean…" David murmured his reply. "Do you think we can last the whole day without any food?"

"If we use the water sparingly, then I think we'll be alright." Rob answered. "We'll be hungry, but we'll be alright."

N'Dare shifted lightly, trying hard not to fall asleep, which proved to be difficult; she kept zoning in and out on occasion. She was concerned for their safety. It was the first time David and Rob had been alone traveling in the jungle before. Of course, she had done it plenty of times, but she felt so helpless now that she was injured. The pain had gone numb, but it was still throbbing slightly. "The jungle heat… will leave you craving… for water." It even hurt to speak barely above a whisper. Had it been in different condition, she would have easily kept them cool, but she couldn't like this. They were all going to suffer the high temperatures this jungle had to offer.

"We'll get through this…" David said softly. "Somehow… Just don't worry."

**Pier**

Thank God the sun had set. Hell, it was an understatement when N'Dare told them they would be craving water. They were drenched in sweat; their shirts were stuck on their backs. Their muscles unbelievably ached from the constant rowing. Sure, every once in a while N'Dare tried to guide them along with a small gust of wind, but there was only so much she could do. For the most part, they had to row up the river.

David had never felt so tired in his whole entire life. This had been the ultimate workout ever. Then again, he shouldn't be complaining. N'Dare had been bundled up in the sleeping bag nearly the whole length of the journey and she didn't say one word. It grew harder and harder to breath. The air was still so icky; so hot.

He didn't remember what exactly happened next. Everything was growing dark and out of place.

_**To Be Continued**_


	7. Chapter Seven: Salvation

**X-Men: The Movie**

**Disclaimer: **I do not, in any way, own _X-Men_. It belongs to _Marvel_.

**Title:** Love Tale of the Past

**Setting:** Before Storm's time; before the meeting of her parents.

**Genre: **Comic/Romance/Drama

**Author's Note:** Sorry it took so long for this update. The holidays came around and my computer broke down. I've been spending the last week or so trying to get it back up and running like it was. I had to clear my whole hard drive which had this chapter complete on there. So frustrating.

**Summary:** David Munroe's photography job takes him to a tribe in Kenya where he finds the High Priestess, N'Dare. The two fall into a forbidden love which is frowned upon the tribe. (R&R)

**Chapter Seven**

**Salvation**

**Hospital**

Every part of his body was aching in pain. He never experienced any type of horrible pain such as this. His whole body was just so exhausted from all the recent events. He felt so thankful to be laying down on a… bed? Or, at least, it _felt_ like a bed. All David remembered was blacking out. The young man opened his eyes, inhaling deeply. It took a while of them to focus, but when they finally did, he noticed that they were in… a hospital of some sort?

Instantly, his stomach turned over. Where was N'Dare? He scanned the room quickly, spotting Rob fast asleep to his right, but an empty bed to his left. His heart skipped a beat. Did something happen to her? If something happened to her… He didn't know what he'd do.

"Robert." David spoke, his voice was so scratchy. His mouth was dry; he was craving water. The young man gazed to the side of the bed, instantly spotting a bottle of water. He grabbed it. It was nowhere near cold, but at the moment, he didn't seem to care… just as long as it was water. He brought the brim to his lips and tilted it up, allowing the liquid to run down his parched throat, feeling it unclench. It was the best feeling in the world. He truly didn't know just how dehydrated he was.

The journalist who was on the bed next to the photographer was still fast asleep. The man didn't look like he was going to be walking up any time soon either. David quickly downed half the bottle of water before returning it to his bedside. He still felt too weak to move his legs. Searching for N'Dare was out of the question. Where were they anyways? Did it matter? They were safe… Away from the jungle. Away from Hungan and that tribe. He sighed in relief, resting back down on the bed, rubbing his forehead. They were going to be going home. This was going to be all behind them; just a horrible memory, nothing more.

David was still exhausted. His eyelids became heavy once more as he mumbled to himself that he wouldn't fall asleep, not until he figured out where and what happened to N'Dare, but the exhaustion was just too great. The man was instantly asleep within minutes.

_**Couple of Hours Later**_

Rob was staring off into space, still not believing what happened to him and his close friend over the course of these last few days. This trip was supposed to be a nice vacation, if you will. They were supposed to be relaxing, soaking up the culture so he could write the story when getting back home to the states. Hell, now he didn't even _care_ about the story. His superiors had the office were not going to hear the end of this one.

The door to their room opened. Two men rolled in another bed. Rob sat up to give himself a better look. There she was… the source of all these problems. The beautiful African 'goddess.' She appeared to be wide awake… When the men left, she turned her head towards the sleeping David next to her before gazing up towards the journalist.

"Is… Is he alright?" N'Dare asked softly.

Rob stared at her for a moment. Her waist was wrapped in bandages. Good, she had been taken care of. On that ride in the river, he was dead sure she wasn't going to survive. She was fighter, this one. David had a good eye, but Rob didn't know if his friend was fine or not.

"I'm not sure." He answered truthfully. "He has been up, I guess. I don't know… Barely woke up myself. How're you doing?"

N'Dare half nodded her head slightly, "Now, I am alright. They have been watching me carefully, making sure that my wound wasn't infected."

"That was a pretty nasty shot…" Robert mumbled, shaking his head.

"I have never seen a gun before in my life." N'Dare admitted. "My… The village people still use bows and arrows… spears, knives."

"Like the old times…" Rob shrugged lightly. "Why… are you so much more educated then those of the people in your village? If the village had to contact will modern civilization… how?"

N'Dare smiled lightly, "You two weren't the first 'outsiders' to come among us." She answered. "There were some before you. I was determined to learn from them. I was interested in what I didn't understand. The people considered me a goddess. What good is a goddess who understands so little?" She pointed out. "I thought if I knew more, then I could change our ways for the better…"

"That surely didn't work out the way you wanted it to." Mumbled the man next to her. N'Dare's eyes instantly gazed towards David, who was staring back at her, smiling. "I'm glad you're alright…"

"And what of you?" She asked. "Are you alright?"

"Just a little thirty." David answered as he sat up as well, feeling a ton better then he did only hours ago. "Not to mention sore, but fine nonetheless. We got out there." The smile on her beautiful face grew. David loved it. He was going to take her far away from his place, as far away as New York to be exact. The photographer couldn't help but think that he was now responsible for her. She had nowhere else to go; the village was all she knew. True, she could stay here, wherever here was, but he didn't _want_ her too. He wanted her to come back with him.

"You have a great amount of courage, David." She commented.

David shook his head, "I had to get you out of there, N'Dare. It's my fault you got hurt. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself knowing that something happened to you because of me."

Robert couldn't help but roll his eyes. This gushy talk had to stop and fast. "Alright you two lovebirds, we're still stuck in some foreign country where we have no idea what's going on. We need to find someone who can speak English and get on the nearest transportation to the States."

"Rambling, Rob." David turned his attention to him. "None of us are in shape to go anywhere, not for a few days at least. N'Dare can speak Swahili; we're going to be fine."

"Hungan. Are we safe from him?" Robert asked.

N'Dare nodded, "He would never come up this far from the village. For the most part, he has what he wants."

"Yeah, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind if we were dead to boot." David mumbled, clearing his throat. "What about Cyni? The rat was working for Hungan and _he_ does come up here, right? I mean, he was our tour guide before all this shit happened."

"I'm dragging the two of you behind." N'Dare pointed out, matter-o-factly. "You two are suffering from exhaustion, dehydration. I'm the one who got shot on top of it all."

"Which wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for me." David replied automatically.

Robert sighed heavily, "_Alright_." He raised his voice before N'Dare could remark. "They are going to release us in a few days, right? Once that happens, then we can find a cruise ship back home. I mean, there is bound to be one, right?"

"Not all of us have U.S. passports." David stated, gesturing towards the former High Priestess. That was a giant problem. How the hell were they going to get N'Dare back to their country? There was no way David wanted to leave her behind. Sooner or later, Cyni would return and, face it, N'Dare stuck out with that pure white hair. Cyni would find her, which would follow by Hungan. David couldn't allow that to happen.

"Then we're going to have to sneak her aboard." Robert responded. "How hard can it be? People do it all the time."

"Unfortunately true." David mumbled in reply, gazing towards the white haired wonder once more. "What do you say…?"

"I can try, can't I?" She shrugged her shoulders. "It would be better if I know what I am doing… When we are released, would it be possible to see this ship? Or just the dock?"

"Yeah, I guess…" Robert laid back down on the bed. "We just got to make it fast and don't be suspicious." He added, glaring at David. "It can screw us all over."

"We'll be fine." David reassured, sighing. He was still a bit tired.

"I'm serious, Dave." Robert spoke up. "If we're caught smuggling N'Dare into the States, then it's over for us as we know it. I'll loose my job-"

"Loosing your job isn't the only thing at stake here, Rob." David remarked. "I know how serious this is and I know it's going to be hard, but we can't leave her here! It's my fault she can't go back to her tribe. If she stays here, then she will only be discovered in a matter of time. You know that."

**The Pier – Two Weeks Later**

"We only have one shot at this." Robert mumbled, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his dirty jeans.

The three of them were gazing up towards the massive cruise ship. They had been released a couple of days ago. Well, N'Dare had been released a couple of days ago. The doctors wanted to make sure that everything was alright considering that she never had a medical exam done before. David and Robert had both been out for well over a week or so. They had been around, trying to get tickets, which they had succeeded in doing. Now the three of them stood on the pier. N'Dare was still dressed in her typical tribal outfit. David worried that she stuck out a bit much, but the woman refused to change until she was on the ship.

In the few days she had been out of the hospital, she done nothing but study the pier and, well, shopped at the local street market for new apparel. If she was going to start her life over, she wanted to completely start it over right down to the clothes she would be wearing. David just didn't want her walking around New York in well… that skimpy outfit. Not that he had anything against the tribe, well, yeah; he did have something against the tribe, but not the clothes N'Dare was currently wearing. Man, this was confusing. He was just hoping they would get to New York.

"I won't mess up." She reassured. "I'll glide in from the back and hide away in the appropriate room until you two get there."

"Are you sure?" David asked, handing the extra key to said room to her.

N'Dare nodded. "As we speak, a light fog is rolling in. The chances they'll be able to see me on board are slim."

"Then this is where we split up." Robert announced as people began to crowd the pier.

David turned to N'Dare, who smiled at him. She stood up on her tip toes and to place a small peck on his lips – he was so tall. Just as she explained, a fog started to appear, rolling into the pier. David had a hard time just seeing her in front of him. This better had work. "I'll see you in a bit." She whispered before taking off as Robert and David stayed still. They knew once the fog settled, then they could move on; that would mean N'Dare was safely on board.

Evens he had a hard time moving around in the fog. It took the weather witch's eyes to adjust to the sudden change. She eased herself onto the polished wooden dock of the giant ship. She had done this before the sun was out; she practiced for ages. If she was correct, then she wasn't too far away from the rooms. She could stop the dense glow of flashlights – they were patrolling the boat; she had to be careful. N'Dare silently felt her way around and quickly found the handle. She pushed the door open and stepped inside the room.

She sighed in relief. Now that the hard part was over, things would be a hell of a lot easier from this part on. The small hallway was empty. She stared to walk. The room was close. If she remembered correctly, it was right around the corner.

Back on the pier, both Robert and David inhaled sharply as the fog lifted. She was on board. They glanced at each other. Things were smooth sailing from here on out. They were finally heading home.

_**To Be Continued**_


	8. Epilogue

**X-Men: The Movie**

**Disclaimer: **I do not, in any way, own _X-Men_. It belongs to _Marvel_.

**Title:** Love Tale of the Past

**Setting:** Before Storm's time; before the meeting of her parents.

**Genre: **Comic/Romance/Drama

**Author's Note:** Here is the ending on this experiment, which I think went fairly well. I had a blast writing this fan fic. I loved being able to explore these characters.

I know it's pretty short, but it does wrap everything up.

And I do plan on writing a sequel. A plot is in the works, I just need to run it by my editor. The sequel is going to be a tad bit darker than this piece. I want Storm to really be in touch with her history; her heritage.

**Summary:** David Munroe's photography job takes him to a tribe in Kenya where he finds the High Priestess, N'Dare. The two fall into a forbidden love which is frowned upon the tribe. (R&R)

**Epilogue**

**Near New York – Days Later**

Twitching upon his lips was a small smile upon inhaling a breath of the salty sea air. His hands grasped the railing as he leaned his body weight forward. Dark brown eyes gazed on the water rushing past the boat, he couldn't' believe they were finally going home; back to the Big Apple. David lifted the camera that hanged around his neck, and brought it to his eye in order to take a picture of the sea. Through the lenses, David could see the New York coast; they had been sailing for days. He lowered the camera, they were going to pass the Statue of Liberty; N'Dare had to see this.

Amazingly, he still had the camera. It was a wonder he didn't loose it on their journey back. Of course, he would have been extremely upset if he lost it. Even if they had a very horrible experience, he still managed to get some decent photographs; photographs that he would try to sell, to try to earn some money. He wasn't going to lie, it was hard being a photographer, especially when the jobs weren't coming in and now that N'Dare would be with him, he would have to take up a real job on top of the photography – he didn't mind. He would finally be happy working whatever job he managed since he'd have N'Dare to come home to every single day.

David carefully placed his camera back into its case before heading to the rooms. Robert had done nothing better but sleep during the whole ride. A couple of times, David spotted his old friend on deck, catching a few rays, claiming it would be a pain in the ass to get a tan when they reached home; Robert would be piled with work for the paper. N'Dare, on the other hand, was very much the opposite. She was always, usually, on deck enjoying the view of the majestic sea, but at the moment he knew she was still resting in bed. Last night, they had been up late just talking to each other about random things.

Stepping inside the room they were assigned, he instantly noticed her spread out on the bed, just like he left her nearly an hour before. The blanket was tangled over her body as her head rested against the pillows. They weren't the softest of all pillows, but they did the job nonetheless. The smile on his face grew as he shuffled over to the edge of the bed. She turned herself over, curling up her body closer; he placed his hand gently on her slender shoulder, gently shaking her awake.

N'Dare inhaled deeply before squinting up towards David. The corners of her lips sneered slightly as she fought back a yawn before sitting up. Her long white hair fell over her shoulder, blending in with the white tank top she was currently wearing. "Are we at all close? This ship… Being on board makes me sick to my stomach. It's so… cramped."

"You don't like small spaces?" David questioned, raising an eyebrow at this new bit of information.

"No, that's not it." She shook her head, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, brushing back her hair. "I don't fear small spaces. I'm not claustrophobic, if that's what you're asking. I just don't enjoy being in such a cramped area for this long of time, which is why I spent my time on deck – there is more fresh air."

"I guess that makes sense." He shrugged his shoulders. "You grew up in the open wild… Small spaces really aren't your thing."

"But I can if I must. I just _prefer_ to be outside." She stood up, pulling her hair together into a high pony tail. "How is it like in your home…?"

David stood as well, "Well… It's not… It's not really open and fresh air is a bit hard to come by, but the Big Apple does grow on you after time." He explained. "It's different from what you're use to, that's for sure, but you'll adjust." He stated, watching her pull a belt back onto her jean shorts. "We're going to be there really soon. That's why I came up here. You have to come on the deck and see the Statue of Liberty."

"Statue of Liberty?" She asked as he grabbed her hand and lead her out of the room; towards the deck.

"Yeah, the Statue of Liberty; Liberty Enlightening the World. It's a massive statue that was given to the United States by France in the 19th century. It represents freedom." He explained.

"Freedom." She beamed, stepping onto the deck. He guided her towards the railing and pointed towards the statue in the distance. N'Dare leaned against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

He placed a kiss on her cheek, "Freedom." He repeated. "You'll never have to deal with Hungan ever again; you're safe."

"I'm starting a new life." She murmured. "And I don't have any remote idea if I will enjoy it or not, nor do I have a chose anymore… I can't turn back anymore."

David turned her around so she was now facing him, "You left your homeland for me. You could have easily avoid any contact with me when you were High Priestess. You've already given up more than anything I could offer, but that doesn't mean I won't try either." He pointed out. "My apartment isn't big, but it's at a good location. The cafes are amazing…" He paused for a moment. "N'Dare, will you marry me?" He asked softly.

She raised an eyebrow. This wasn't how they normally purposed in the American culture now was it? She was told that the man knelt down on one knee with a small ring box and they would say the most wonderful thing. Honestly, what David just said… was a tad bit corny for her taste, but what the hell… Who was it going to hurt?

"Of course…" She replied.

**New York – Munroes' Apartment – Two Years Later**

"Sleep…" N'Dare spoke softly, leaning against the wooden railing of the crib that had been set up months before in the newly decorated nursery. A warm smile came to her face as she watched the small baby girl yawn in her slumber. It had taken a lot out of her… to get use to this new environment, but she didn't mind. Their apartment was located on the top floor of the building. It was easy to get on top of the roof for a bit of… fresh air.

They had married in a small ceremony; all of David's family members were there mostly. There really wasn't anyone she could possibly have her own family over. They were all dead, sadly, but it was still a great day nonetheless. Then she became pregnant nearly a year later with their beloved little daughter.

"Is Ororo already sleeping?" David whispered from the doorway.

N'Dare looked over her shoulder, "What do you expect? You came home late again," she said. "And Ororo needs all the sleep she can get."

David walked up behind her to place his hands on her shoulders. He gazed into the crib, "She's so beautiful…"

"And we are always going to be there for her." N'Dare pointed out. "My grandmother died when my mother was young… and my mother died when I was a child. I won't allow Ororo to have the same fate…"

**The End**


End file.
